As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, two College of Medicine cancer researchers have received statewide grants to support their innovative projects to fight a disease that strikes one in eight American women. Alicja Copik and Debbie Altomare each received $100,000 from the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation (FBCF), a group focused on supporting innovative research that will create new and better ways to diagnose, treat, and perhaps cure the disease. Annette Khaled, who leads the College of Medicine's Cancer Research Division, noted that UCF competed with older, larger programs such as the University of Miami, the Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of Florida to earn the funding.
Khaled received UCF's first FBCF grant in 2012 and since then, seven College of Medicine faculty researchers have earned funding totaling almost $1 million. This is the first year two College of Medicine cancer researchers have earned the state cancer support in the same year. This shows we have tremendous intellectual capital in cancer research.
FBCF is looking for new, innovative ideas in fighting breast cancer and they are supporting UCF." Annette Khaled, Professor and Cancer Division Head, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida Copik focuses her research on better arming the body's natural killer (NK) cells to wipe out cancer. NK cells are the first line of defense in warding off pathogens, such as viruses.
Through genetic engineering and nanoparticle technology, Copik has deve.